Commenting on the predictions, Linzi Walker, Chief Toy Buyer for Argos says: “This year’s list shows just how much toys are evolving – lots of our Top Toys have their roots in parents’ Christmas Past. Now they’ve truly moved on, with more sophisticated tech, realistic life-like functions and up-to-date pop culture references.

“We’ve progressed from the toy caterpillar that toddlers could pull across the floor, to one that starts infants on the road to clever coding. Where once there was a baby doll that simply looked like the real thing, we now have one that SMELLS as sweet as a newborn. And while past festivities might have featured a karaoke machine, 2016’s budding Beliebers will be making and sharing their own pop videos with a SelfieMic.”

She adds: “With cross-generation appeal toys from LEGO, NERF and Star Wars, households are expected to be lively and fun across the UK this Christmas.”

Fast forwarding to Christmas Future, Argos polled 1,000* children aged five to thirteen for their insight into what toys will star on Christmas wishlist in a decade’s time.

Almost a quarter predict self-building LEGO (23%) and one in five believe that toys that can tidy themselves away will be festive must-haves in 2026. There’ll be more virtual reality games (41%), conversational robots (40%), toys that never run out of batteries (37%), and – for instant gratification – toys that appear magically in real life from their own imagination (10%).

The poll also revealed that construction toys are the most played-with toys (72%), with LEGO being named the favourite toy ever by 19% of kids. And Christmas toys are most certainly for the big kids too – a quarter of parents polled by Argos admitted to enjoying playtime with their kids’ NERF blasters!

Many parents also use toys to help inspire their children’s future careers, with over a quarter (27%) using science-based toys to set their little ones on a tech career path.

All toys will be available to buy via www.argos.co.uk from July 2016 onwards unless otherwise indicated.